


A Song of Ice and Fire

by TheCarmineWanker



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-16 03:52:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16946475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCarmineWanker/pseuds/TheCarmineWanker
Summary: It's a mess, really. Zuko and Katara have been in love with each other for a couple years but are simultaneously convinced that the other person doesn't have feelings for them. Stuck in meaningless relationships with people they don't actually have feelings for, they have quite a bit to figure out if they are to be happy.





	1. Chapter 1

   Zuko was in love with Katara. By this point, he’d resigned himself to the fact that he probably always would be. The war had been over for two years, it was two years since he’d resumed his relationship with Mai and Katara had accepted Aang’s feelings and yet, after all that time, his love for her only grew stronger. Sometimes he felt bad about leading Mai on, but then she’d say something rude or dismiss him and he was reminded that she didn’t care about him either. For both of them, it was solely a political relationship, one where he would have a Fire Nation nobleman’s daughter on the throne beside him and she would get her “perks"

   That’s all she actually cared about, those so-called “perks”. Perks are supposed to be added bonuses, nice things that sweeten the deal, but for her, those and the throne were the deal. He’d given up on trying to have real conversations with her long ago. The one or two times he tried to talk to her about his mixed feelings regarding his new position as Fire Lord, she waved him off and told him to stop being dramatic. Right, because suddenly being in charge of running a country and rebuilding said country and the entire world isn’t actually something to be concerned about.

   What hurt the most was how happy Katara appeared to be with Aang. He’d been skeptical when they first got together, mainly because of how young Aang was, but, apparently, his skepticism was unfounded. As such, whenever they visited, he always challenged himself to appear equally happy with Mai. The last thing he wanted was for Katara to see that he was unhappy in his relationship while she was perfectly happy in hers or, even worse, realize how he felt about her while she clearly didn’t feel remotely the same. By this point, he had perfected the skill, and it was a good thing, too, because she and Aang would be arriving momentarily.

________

   Katara was nervous. It had been months since her last stay in the Fire Nation and, after that experience, she didn’t know if she could do it this time. She hated to admit it, but she was in love with Zuko and had been for a while. It was selfish, and she felt awful about it, but the only reason she said yes to Aang was because he’d gone off with Mai. She had thought that it would get better with time, but it only continued to worsen. She’d been with Aang for two years and he’d been with Mai for the same amount of time, so she couldn’t understand why that was the case. Two years should have been enough time to move on.

   She felt terrible about leading Aang on, she really did. However, when he’d ditch her for his fan club or when he’d completely fail to even try to understand her, the guilt lessened. Katara knew that he really liked her, of course he did, but she also knew he didn’t actually love her, even if he claimed to. Over the years she’d noticed that he was only ever interested in her when she looked good or when she was willing to put important stuff aside and have fun with him. He never wanted to talk about important things and always resented when she would hold him to his responsibilities. He loved her the way he loved Momo- a cute thing that he can play with.

   The worst part was how genuinely happy Zuko was with Mai. She’d been apprehensive about their relationship, based on the times she’d encountered Mai, but she had been proven wrong. Whenever they visited, Katara was always mindful to make sure her mask was seamless and that she played the role of Aang’s happy girlfriend flawlessly. She didn’t want him to see that she was discontented with her relationship when he was clearly so happy with his, or, worst of all, for him to realize how she felt. As their ship approached the harbour, Katara slipped on her mask, blending the edges flawlessly.


	2. Chapter 2

   As Katara stepped onto the dock, Zuko was blinded by her beauty. He wrapped his arm around Mai’s waist to ground himself so he wouldn’t stare openly at his friend. Placing a smile on his face, he greeted his friends.

   “Aang, Katara, it’s good to see you again.” They all bowed to each other.

    “Zuko, Mai, thank you for having us.” This is how it always went. They carried out the rest of their routine; Zuko led them to their rooms and they went to have tea in the garden. Today, they were having an aromatic lapsang souchong, a tea favored by the Fire Nation for it’s smokiness.

    “So, Aang, how’s it going with your avatar duties?” Aang perked up at Zuko’s question.

    “Great! Did you know I have a fan club? I met the president and she’s really nice.” For just a tiny moment, not even a second, Katara’s mask cracked. No one noticed besides Zuko, but he did and he couldn’t have been more thrilled.

    “Really? That’s great! It must be nice, having support like that.” Katara’s eyebrow twitched. He’d struck a nerve. He knew why, too. Katara was the single most supportive person in Aang’s life and those fangirls would never come close.

    “Yeah! I mean, they didn’t even make me do my laundry or anything.” That was it. Zuko knew Katara was half a second away from going off the edge.

    “Yeah, but if they didn’t help you take care of yourself or anything, how could they have actually been supportive? If they really supported you, they would have encouraged you to do your laundry and stuff like that because it’s important for your wellbeing.” Katara shot him a grateful look. He offered a small smile in return, glad that he had appeased her.

    “I don’t think so. I think if they really wanted to be supportive, they would’ve done it for me.” Katara tensed.

    “You mean like I do after you refuse to do anything of the sort for an entire week just because I get sick to death of your filth?” Wow. In the multiple times she and Aang had visited, Zuko had never seen Katara actually… show emotion. Mai stood up, yawning.

    “If you’re going to fight, I’m leaving.” With that, she just left.

    “Yeah, but that doesn’t count because you always nag me about doing it instead of just doing it yourself in the first place.” Zuko jumped in before Katara sliced Aang’s throat with her butter knife.

    “Hey, Aang, how about a game of Pai Sho?” Aang readily agreed. “Why don’t you head into the parlor and I’ll meet you there after I clean up?” Nodding, Aang followed his instructions. Once he was gone, Zuko turned to Katara, placing a hand on her shoulder.

    “Are you alright?” She waved him off.

    “I’m fine. That’s just how he is.” Zuko sighed.

    “But it’s not fine. What he just said was horribly disrespectful and rude.”

    “It doesn’t matter, I’m used to it.” He shook his head.

    “You shouldn’t be and you aren’t. It really upset you- it was written all over your face and, honestly, that’s how you should react to it. It’s not the kind of thing you should acclimate to.” She stiffened under his hand.

    “Don’t you have a game to play?”

    “You’re my friend.” It hurt to call her that. “This is far more important. How can I be okay when you’re upset?” A tear slid down her cheek.

    “Just go find Aang. Please.” The last word was no more than a whisper. Squeezing her shoulder, he obeyed.


	3. Chapter 3

   Katara was mortified and frustrated and, more than anything, utterly depressed. There went her perfect facade, like a paper boat floating down the stream. Now he knew how miserable she really was. What irritated her the most, however, was how easily he’d been able to say stuff like “how can I be okay when you’re upset?” How could he do that to her when he was just her friend and clearly happy with Mai? And in the same statement he’d started with “you’re my friend”?

   All was lost. She was miserable and he was happy and now he knew it. At the very least, he didn’t appear to know about her feelings, so at least there was some part of it that wasn’t completely terrible. She had gone off and found a stream where she was now taking out all of her emotions on some nearby trees. She kept going until she was completely spent.

    When she arrived at dinner that night, however, she was spotless, her old mask back on her face. She spoke minimally, but not so little as to draw attention to herself. Of course, Zuko noticed, but no one else did. At the moment, Aang and Zuko were talking about the White Lotus, which stemmed from an earlier discussion about pai sho.

    “- I thought that guy was going to get us killed, but then he snuck us out of town in flower pots instead.”

    “That’s great! When Piandao gave Sokka a white lotus tile, we had no idea what that was about until we got to Ba Sing Se with you when we were looking for your uncle.” Zuko smiled fondly.

    “And to think we only found him because I kept his sandal.” Aang laughed.

    “It was good that you were finally able to make up with him. I talked to him the other week and he’s still really proud of you and everything you’ve done as Fire Lord.” Zuko sighed.

    “I’m glad he feels that way. Honestly, I don’t know what I’m doing. Everything is so precarious right now and I’m always worried that I’m going to make the wrong choice and everything will come crashing down. Everything I’ve done, all the progress I’ve made, will be for nothing.”

    “Oh come on Zuko, don’t be so dramatic.” Mai cut in and Katara was surprised when he, almost imperceptibly, bristled at her words. “You’d have to really screw up to manage that and I don’t think even you could mess up that badly. Plus, don’t you trust Iroh? If he says you’re a good Fire Lord, then you are one. He certainly knows what a bad one looks like, right?” Katara was astounded. She’d never actually heard Mai say something so genuinely awful. Looking over, she saw that Zuko’s whole body was tense, but he managed to nod.

   “You’re right.”

   She wanted to argue. Mai was right about Iroh’s judgement but nothing else she’d said. However, for Zuko’s sake, she kept her mouth shut. Soon enough, dinner was over. Mai went off somewhere to do whatever and Aang said he was going to go practice his earthbending. Katara went to the library and had Zuko come with her.

   “Now it’s my turn- are you okay?” He sighed.

   “I’m fine.” She smirked.

   “I think I proved earlier that this line of dialogue goes nowhere.” She placed a hand on his arm. “What Mai said back there was awful, and it really bothered you. Talk to me.” His face hardened.

   “Like how you talked to me earlier? Alright then, don’t you have something else to do?” She shook her head.

   “No, there’s nothing and, even if there was, nothing is more important than helping you. I’m pretty sure earlier you said something like ‘how can I be alright if you’re not okay’.” He tensed up a bit.

   “And I’m pretty sure you then said to go find Aang.” She knew he didn’t mean it that way, but his words cut deep. Tears started gathering in her eyes.

   “Fine, maybe I will.” She was gone before he could protest. Alone in the library, Zuko smacked his forehead.

   “Stupid!”


	4. Chapter 4

   Zuko didn’t know how, but Katara had managed to avoid him for three days. Part of him applauded her- it wasn’t an easy task for someone staying in the palace as one of his honored guests. However, he hated nothing more than her being mad at him. On the third day, he snuck up on her in the hallway and, grabbing her by the arm, dragged her to the garden, where they could talk.

    “What was that for?” He tried and failed to ignore how ravishing she looked, all feral and angry like that.

    “I need to talk to you but if I had tried to approach you you would have run away because you’ve been avoiding me.”

    “Fine. What is it.”

    “I’m sorry.” She chuckled humorlessly.

    “What, for dragging me here?”

    “For what I said in the library. Clearly, it upset you.” She regarded him skeptically.

    “Do you even know what it is that you said or why it bothered me?” He nodded.

    “I think I do. Please feel free to correct me, though. It was the last comment I made, repeating your words about “go find Aang”. At the moment, I didn’t realize that when I said that to you, it had a completely different meaning. It was rude, especially when you were only trying to help, and I’m sorry.” Secretly, Katara was relieved. He really didn’t know she was in love with him.

    “It’s refreshing, having someone actually listen and understand. Aang never bothers to listen to me, in case you couldn’t tell.” Zuko grinned.

    “Yeah, I know the feeling.”

    “Why are you with her? I used to think you were happy with her, but now I can see that you’re not.” He raised his one good eyebrow at her.

    “I could ask you the same thing.” Katara crossed her arms.

    “You could, but I asked first.” Chuckling, Zuko shook his head.

    “Alright. You ready?” She nodded. “Politics.”

    “What?”

    “It’s a smart political move. She’s the daughter of a Fire Nation nobleman, after all. With this arrangement, I’ll have Fire Nation nobility by my side in front of my nation and she gets her ‘perks’.” Katara _really_ didn’t like the sound of those “perks”.

    “So you don’t even love each other?” She was shocked when he actually laughed.

    “I’m glad to know that if the whole Fire Lord thing doesn’t work out, I can follow my mother’s footsteps and go into theater with my incredible acting skills.” Before Katara could ask another question, he continued. “Your turn.” She sighed.

    “He likes me, even if it’s just the same way he likes Momo. He likes me when I look good or do fun stuff with him but he resents me when I try to hold him to his responsibilities. In the end, I just felt like it was expected of me, like it was something I had to do. At least he’s a good friend, it could be worse.”

    “So you don’t love each other either? I never thought you’d be okay with that kind of relationship.” Her face became as cold and rigid as marble.

    “From what I’ve experienced, I want nothing to do with love.” Zuko was shocked. Those were the last words he’d ever expect to come out of her mouth.

    “What do you mean ‘from what you’ve experienced’? Are you still just hung up on Jet? Or did you meet someone after the war” He desperately hoped she hadn’t met someone, although still being hung up on Jet wasn’t much better.

    “I guess you could say that.” And, just like that, everything came crashing down around him. After two years of being convinced she loved Aang, she’d finally admitted she didn’t, just to tell him she loved someone else. 

    “Then you should be with them.” She ducked her head.

    “It’s not that simple. The situation is delicate and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t like me that way.”

    “Right, sure, he doesn’t like you because, what, he’s deaf and blind?” Her head snapped up. Realizing what he’d said, Zuko blushed.

    “What about you? Have you ever been in love?”

    “Once.” He was surprised to see her shoulders sag a little.

    “What was she like?” He sighed.

    “Radiant. That’s the first word that comes to mind. Her presence is like the sun. She radiates warmth and a healing light that chases away all the shadows of fear and pain. I could spend the rest of eternity there next to her, basking in her light. Whenever I have to leave, it feels like being plunged into the icy waters of the North Pole.” Katara was shocked and dismayed. Whoever this girl was, she sounded incredible.

    “So why aren’t you with her, then?” A look of bitterness washed over his face.

    “She loves someone else.” That statement and the tone of his voice shattered her heart into pieces. She enveloped him in a hug.

    “I’m so sorry,” she whispered into his chest. He cupped the back of her head with his hand.

    “Me too.”


	5. Chapter 5

   The next day, it was time for Katara and Aang to leave. After their fond farewells, they boarded the ship back to the Earth Kingdom. Katara was miserable. She loved Zuko but, clearly he loved someone else, even if it wasn’t Mai. Part of her felt like she should break up with Aang even if Zuko didn't want her. She could at least have the decency to live out the rest of her life as a spinster, wallowing in her misery.

    The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Not the ‘wallowing in her misery’ part, but breaking things off with Aang. As much as the play on Ember Island had been a bad joke, the one thing they got right was that she never had feelings for Aang. She got nothing out of their relationship except all the responsibilities he wanted to shirk, like his laundry. By the end of the trip, she had made up her mind. He was heading to Omashu, but she would go to Ba Sing Se.

    “You ready, Katara?” The boat had finally docked.

    “Aang, I’m not going with you to Omashu.” He looked at her, confused.

    “What do you mean? Are you going to visit the Kyoshi Warriors instead?” She shook her head.

    “No, Aang.” Katara took a deep breath. “I think we should break up.”

    “Oh, you mean split up, like you go see Suki while I go to Omashu?” He clearly understood but was grasping at straws.

    “No, I mean I don’t think we should be together anymore.” Even though she didn’t have feelings for him, he was her friend and seeing him hurt was painful. “I think we were always meant to be friends, good friends, not… this.” Before he could say anything, she walked away, pausing to say “goodbye” before leaving.

    She couldn’t believe she’d actually done it. She’d ended her two year relationship with her best friend. She did feel bad, but mainly, Katara felt relieved. Lying to him by omission was the hardest thing she’d ever done. But now, it was over, and she could be more honest about her feelings.

    The trip to Ba Sing Se took a few weeks. Without saying anything to King Kuei, she went straight to the Jasmine Dragon. When she entered, there were only two customers and Iroh was sweeping, since it was almost closing. When he saw her, he smiled widely and hurried over to greet her.

    “Katara, how lovely to see you. Please, come in and have some tea.” 

   Smiling, she followed, sitting at a small table in the corner. Soon, he brought her a nice pot of hot jasmine tea and two cups. Sitting across from her, he poured the tea.

   “To what do I owe the pleasure of your unexpected visit?” Katara sighed, running a hand through her loose hair.

   “I broke up with Aang.” To her surprise, Iroh didn’t appear to be surprised at all. “We had just visited Zuko and were coming to the Earth Kingdom because he’s been summoned to Omashu. When we docked, I ended things and came here instead.” Iroh hummed thoughtfully.

   “I think you made a hard but wise decision, Katara. The avatar may be your friend, but I do not think he was ever meant to be your partner.” Cocking her head to the side, Katara looked at him with confusion.

   “What do you mean?”

   “He is not the one for you. I think we both know there is someone out there who is.” He knew. If his words weren’t enough, his knowing smile told her.

   “And who might that be?” She decided to feign ignorance.

   “False ignorance does not suit you, Katara. Honesty is far more becoming of you.” With that, he got up to wash his cup, leaving her there, gawping.


	6. Chapter 5

   It had been two months since Katara and Aang visited the Fire Nation. Since then, Zuko had rediscovered his old favorite hobby of overthinking. It usually alternated between ‘Katara loves someone else’ and ‘should I break up with Mai?’ He had over thought both of them to death and, in the end, he decided to end things with Mai. He’d always been one for the dramatics and what was a better testament to the tragedy of his unrequited love than never marrying and letting the royal bloodline die out? He thought it was perfect.

    Of course, what would be more perfect would be to make her his lady and rename the capital Zutara after them, the same way Omashu was named after Oma and Shu. There were some truly incredible sculptors that he could commision to make appropriate statues. Right in the middle of the city, there would be two giant statues, at least 50 feet tall, one of her with fountains so that water would come from her hands, and one of him with fire burning in his palms. Then, the whole world could gaze in awe at them and their love.

    He knew this was absurd, of course, but that didn’t stop him from imagining. Along that same vein, it really didn’t help that he could easily imagine her wearing the fine robes and headdress of the Fire Lady. Although, none of that was nearly as bad as when he pictured her naked, tangled in his red silk sheets. To put it simply, Zuko was rather dying at his own hand.

    Imagine his surprise when one day, she showed up unannounced and alone. He’d been in his study, doing paperwork, when a servant came in and announced that the Lady Katara was here and requested Lord Zuko’s presence and that she was waiting in the foyer. Brow furrowed in confusion, Zuko put down what he had been working on and went to the foyer to see Katara.

    “Zuko!” She greeted him excitedly, running over to hug him.

    “Katara, what are you doing here? I had no idea you were coming.” He turned to a nearby servant. “You. See to it that the fifth suite is prepared.” The servant bowed, shuffling off to obey his orders. Katara stepped back, letting him go.

    “Well, I broke up with Aang and just spent two weeks with your uncle. He suggested I come back here.”

    “Wait, you broke up with Aang?” She nodded. He breathed a sigh of relief. “No offense, but I’m glad. I think that was a really good decision.”

    “Thanks, but now it’s your turn. If I ended my less-than-desirable relationship, shouldn’t you do the same?” He smiled at her.

    “You’re about 5 weeks too late.” Her face lit up.

    “You really did it?” He nodded. “I’m so proud of you!” He laughed as she hugged him again.

    “That means a lot, coming from you.”

    “Good, at least someone values my opinion.” He gave her a look.

    “Katara, _everyone_ should value your opinion.” She blushed. “Would you care for our customary tea in the garden, or are you sick of tea after two weeks with my uncle?” Katara grinned.

    “Sick of tea? That’s like being sick of breathing! How could a member of his own family say something like that?” He laughed.

    “How can you do such an accurate impression of him? That was perfect.” Together, they walked out to the garden, Zuko throwing orders at a servant to bring them tea.

    “So, now that you broke up with Aang, are you going to pursue that guy you mentioned?” She blushed. Hard.

   “I don’t know if I can. I’d like to, but I don’t think it’d work out. What about you? There was that girl you mentioned.”

    “She loves someone else, remember?” Katara’s face crumbled.

    “I’m sorry, I forgot.” He placed his hand on hers reassuringly.

    “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.” If only she could see the irony in that statement. Of course, it wasn’t her fault in that she couldn’t choose who she loved, but it was her fault in that she was, however innocently, the reason for his suffering.

    “I know.” Suddenly, she laughed. “Spirits, we’re so pathetic, aren’t we?”

    “Yeah.” Looking up at him, she smiled, extending her hand.

    “Pathetic unrequited love buddies?” He shook her hand.

    “Pathetic unrequited love buddies.”


	7. Chapter 7

   The next day, Zuko was out of the palace, off meeting with some nobility, and Katara was bored. As she was walking in the gardens, she decided to write Iroh a thank-you letter for letting her stay with him for two weeks. Smiling at the idea, Katara headed back to the palace. She asked the first guard she saw where Zuko’s study was and followed his directions, after thanking him, of course.

    In all the time she had spent at the palace, she had never been to his study. She’d never had any need to. If she needed to write a letter, she brought her own paper, ink, and brush or borrowed from Aang if she forgot. And, really, there was nothing else she would need to go to his study for. He kept all of his books in the library and, from what she could tell, the only thing he did in his study was paperwork.

    After a few minutes, she reached the large wooden door at the end of the eastern corridor. When she opened it, she was surprised to see a thousand paper cranes hanging from the ceiling right over the doorway. There was a legend in the Fire Nation that if someone folds 1,000 paper cranes, they are granted a wish. She stepped forward so she could admire them more closely. Unfortunately, as she grabbed one of the strands, she tripped over the door jamb, falling on the floor, tearing the strand from the ceiling in the process and landing with it under her.

    She jumped to her feet, picking up the strand of crushed cranes, trying to figure out how she was going to fix it. That’s when she saw it, a brushstroke of ink on the inside. Curious, she unfolded the paper, then gasped in shock. It was her name. Frantically, she examined the rest of the cranes only to find the same thing. Tears of joy and relief fell from her eyes as she picked up the paper she had ruined.

    When Zuko returned later that afternoon, he found Katara waiting for him in the foyer. He found it odd and a bit surprising that she would do so. She approached him as soon as he entered.

    “Can I talk to you?” He nodded, though he was rather confused. He led her to the parlor.

    “What is it, Katara?” She showed him the small piece of paper she’d been clutching in her hand. His eyes widened in shock when he saw it. 

    “A thousand paper cranes in exchange for a wish, that’s what the legend says, right?” She dropped the paper and took a step closer to him. “You love me.” In that moment, his expression scared her. Not because she thought he would hurt her, but because he looked dead terrified, like a cornered animal. “It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.” Apparently, she was going to address him as such. 

    “What?”

    “You look terrified right now because you’re assuming I’m here to reject you, right? Because all along you wrongly assumed that when I said that I’ve loved someone before, I didn’t mean you.” Before he could react, she kissed him.

    Since the invention of the kiss, there have only been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind. It was a legendary kiss, one for the history books. It was a kiss of true love and wishes come true and all things impossibly wonderful. They pulled apart, smiling at each other. Then, all that emotion came welling up and they broke down in each others’ arms in tears of joy and laughter at the irony of it all. Had anyone been watching, they would have found it rather strange, but to them, she loved him and he loved her and nothing else mattered.


	8. Epilogue

   It had been a bit awkward breaking the news to Aang. Everyone else, however, even her brother, had apparently seen it coming for a while. When asked about it, Toph had just said “remember, I can feel your heartbeats and breathing.” Sokka claimed that Katara talked in her sleep and that the last time she was home, he could hear her saying Zuko’s name, loud and clear. She had been mortified, recalling a particularly graphic dream she’d had about their resident firebender the last time she was home.

    In the end, Aang was okay with it. After all, he and Katara were good friends and he wasn’t going to stand in the way of her happiness. He’d been upset at first, of course, but had come around quicker than expected. Katara was really proud of him.

    She and Zuko had been together for over a year and she was living with him at the palace. Every day, he made time for her, taking his meals with her and chatting with her in the library at night. It was a night like that, and they were sitting on the sofa, cuddling, and chatting idly.

    “Hey, Katara?” 

    “What?” 

    “I made you something.” He pulled that something out of his pocket and handed it to her. It was a betrothal necklace with a combination of their nations’ insignias carved into amethyst on a purple satin band.

    “Oh, Zuko, it’s stunning!” She looked at him, eyes alight with excitement. “Please tell me that unlike when you held my mother’s necklace to my throat when you tied me to a tree that one time this is actually a proper proposal.” He laughed.

    “Of course it is. I would never do anything improperly with you.” She blushed.

    “Put it on me?”

    “You still haven’t given me an answer.”

    “Well, you still haven’t asked me a question. Last I checked, ‘I made you something’ isn’t a question.” Grabbing her hands, he faced her with an expression of complete seriousness.

    “Lady Katara of the water tribe, daughter of Chief Hakoda, master waterbender and teacher of the avatar, would you do me the greatest honor of all by becoming my bride?” Katara just about fainted. Damn, that was hot.

    “I’d be inclined to agree to that, Fire Lord Zuko.” 

    “Really?” She nodded, smiling.

    “Really.” He beamed at her, putting the necklace on her before grabbing her and kissing her, hard and fierce. Pulling apart, they smiled at each other.

    “So, what do you think about renaming the capital city ‘Zutara’ after us, kind of like Omashu?” Katara laughed.

    “Go for it, just make sure to put up some statues so people don’t forget why it’s named that.” If Zuko had any doubts about Katara being the right person for him (which he didn’t) that statement would have chased them all away. Once more, he captured her lips, but this time he didn’t let go.


End file.
